One Minute It's September, The Next Minute it's Mid October!

  

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. you can write about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme.

This month I have been trying better time management.  I'm getting up at 5:30 or 6:00 a.m. planning to get some motif writing done, however it's not happening. The time between when I get up and when I have to leave for work passes in the blink of an eye! I'm trying to tell myself to get up, make coffee, and write for 30 minutes. What happens is I get up, go downstairs to make coffee, unload the dishwasher, feed the dog, check work emails, etc etc. I bet you can relate. 

I went to a program at my local library this past week called Mourning and Spirituality in the Victorian Era. I took notes because it was very interesting and maybe someday I'll have a ghost character from the 1870s who spent most of her adulthood in full mourning. My take away about mourning in the Victorian Era is that is really sucked to be a woman. You had to be in mourning for so many people I don't know how anyone coped. 

I've started drafting my four small town romance book wish me luck! My biggest problem is I procrastinate my writing and get easily distracted. How was your week? Did you read anything good? I just got a refurbished MacBook and I am learning how to use it. 

When you were in full mourning you covered yourself head to toe in black and didn't wear any jewelry You had to wear a veil over your face when you were out in public and depending how you were related to the person who died you could be in mourning for 3 months to two years. Did you know people reenact this era and dress in mourning clothes? I did not. One last fact the fabric for full mourning was crepe and part of the process to dull crepe could involve dousing it with formaldehyde so these women were walking around breathing in some nasty chemicals on top of everything else! 

Fiction Taking Place During Covid. - Well It Is in the Horror Genre

How fantastic is this cover?  I love the color scheme and the blood-red sky behind this old house. It hits on all cylinders if you are looking for a spooky read. Now that last sentence was really mixing metaphors!  

This book takes place during COVID-19, and it is fiction, so is this Covid the same as ours? Who knows.  If the last thing you want to do is read about Covid, or if reading about someone very sick with Covid or dying from it, this book is not for you. 

Now if you are okay with that, this is a good read.  I think Stephen King does a good job having characters that are very worried about the pandemic as well as people who don't believe it exists and various points in between. I thought the characters were fleshed out so they didn't feel one-note based on their personal beliefs. 

The story is good and stands alone, I know Holly has featured in other stories, but I haven't read them and I didn't feel like I was missing anything when I read this book. 

If you like P.I. mysteries, I think you'll enjoy this book. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was very good, I could easily tell who was who as she spoke. 

Yesterday I was going to make stew, but then I decided to make a pot roast in the slow cooker, it was decent, but I felt like it was missing something. I should have added some tomato paste, but I was out. That was a mistake!

An old picture that I love- I believe this was 2009!

 

Wednesday Check In! Less than 3 weeks til Halloween!

 

A little bit of my fall decor.  The gnome is a repurposed air freshener I bought from a craft show. It's super cute and I love that it's reusing something that goes in the trash.  The candle is also from a craft show, it's a really nice fragrance, perfect for fall, the little striped pumpkin was a library craft and the tray is a cake plate that my mom gave me. Tiered trays with seasonal displays are BIG, so this is my take on that decorating trend. 

I've been working very hard on my passion project.  So far so go, I think I'll be ready to spill the beans by Halloween.  Right now I don't want to say much because I don't want to jinx myself. 

I haven't finished reading my books for this week. I have a few more hours left to listen to Holly by Stephen King, and I'm about halfway done with Much Ado About You which is good, it's just long. I flipped ahead a few chapters to see if they ever have sex. Looks like they do, hopefully, so far they've almost kissed but been interrupted a few times and that is a fine line.  You know?  Like I'll allow it once or twice, and then I start rolling my eyes.

How about you? How's your week going?  

Mushrooms I saw while walking! 

Spooky Season is Officially Here- #TheSundayPost!

 

The Sunday Post is a blog news meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on your blog for the week ahead. Join in weekly, bi-weekly, or for a monthly wrap-up. See rules here: Sunday Post Meme  

Boy did September fly by, and here we are October!  Such a fun month and really hasn't it become the unofficial start of the holiday season?  In just a few weeks Hallmark will begin the Countdown to Christmas with loads of new Christmas movies!  But back to Spooky Season, I love seasonal reading so this time of year I'm usually found reading witchy cozy mysteries or fun paranormal romance. Speaking of Hallmark and Cozy Mysteries, did you see that the book  Murder in G Major is now a movie?  I have not seen the movie yet, because I havne't restarted my subscription to frndy TV; but I'll be restarting that in a couple of weeks. 

I made my Harvest Moon Soup Friday and it turned out well, I couldn't find fresh sage for the soup, so I substituted thyme for the sage and it was delicious.  Do you have a favorite herb?  Thyme is mine, especially in the fall and winter, it's perfect with any root vegetables. 

Happy October, do you have any season fun planned for this month? 

Books I'm currently reading:

It's Good, But Why is this Book So LONG- A Court of Mist and Fury

 

After listening to A Court of Thorns and Roses,  I was in no hurry to continue the series because I didn't like Feyre and Tamlin as a couple. I didn't like Tamlin and Feyre was so boring with him.  She goes from being a warrior to a princess flouncing around in gowns and painting. 

But a podcast I listen to sang the praises of this book, so I said, fine I'll give this a shot.  And yes, much better. HOWEVER, the book is ridiculously long and too repetitive, and so I rated it a 3.  It's good but if it was 200 pages shorter, it would have been fantastic. Why are the books in this series so long, I'm listening at 2x speed and it's still taking forever--and the ending isn't the ending it's the end til the next book starts, so shorten it up! 

Have you read this series?  Did you think this book could have been edited down? 

***

We are still enjoying amazing September weather in Chicagoland, temps are in the 70s (low 20s Celcius) during the day and 50s (mid teens celsius) at night. Just the best. For my birthday I got myself a Stich Fix and it included two cute sweaters and it hasn't been cool enough to wear them, but I figure we only have a couple of weeks --at the most before it will truly be sweater weather. 

A Couple of Short, Seasonal, and Slightly Spooky Listens

I love this time of year, I love the decorating, the food, and of course the ghost stories! I found a couple of short listens via audible and the Libby app from my library. 

The first is an audio play of the famous Agatha Christie book And Then There Were None. The audio play is from the BBC and crams the book into a very digestible hour and about twelve minutes.  It's a great accompaniment to walk in the woods, or while raking leaves, or baking a  pumpkin pie!  The plot of And Then There Were None is clear in the title. There is a group of people and someone is picking them off one by one.  The mystery is not that people are going to die, it's the who and the why. And if you want more Agatha Christie there is a good adaptation of Crooked House streaming right now. 

I also listened to a novella-length book called The House by Raelyn Drake.  It was listed as YA, but I think it was mislabeled The House was definitely a middle-grade story.  Again it was a short engaging listen, perfect for this time of year. The story is about a group of high school kids who spend a few hours in their town's alleged Haunted House. The kids are trying to debunk the myth.  It's fun to see how things turn out. It's a very cozy mystery-type listen, you can picture the quaint town and the kids are determined to figure out the mystery. 

4 stars for sure! 

I picked up googly eyes so I'm ready to make some fun Halloween treats this month! 

I'm going to try to make these brownies or make cupcakes with the same frosting and decorations! 

When No One is Watching Review and A New Recipe

 

When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

An excellent thriller! As I read I could not see any way out for Sydney and Theo--I had to keep reading to see where this story was going to go. I appreciated the history lessons interspersed in this fictional version of Brooklyn, I was very glad to see that Alyssa Cole included sources for more information on Weeksville, New Yor because I did not know of Weeksville and now I would like to learn more about its story.

The story was loaded with tension, the two Point-of-view characters were slowly unveiled as their lives were unraveling, and history lessons are shared with the readers who probably didn't learn any of this in school.

I'd love to see HBO make this book a limited series.

View all my reviews

This was my first time cooking Spaghetti Squash in the slow cooker. This recipe was easy to follow. I used ground turkey instead of ground beef. I added fresh basil, a couple extra garlic cloves and a tablespoon of Italian blend seasoning. I also added a pinch of sugar to offset the acidity of the tomatoes and I cooked tomato paste before adding it to the pot.  Here is a link to the recipe from Real Simple magazine: Slow-Cooker Ragu with Spaghetti Squash.

We will definitely have this again because the husband bought three spaghetti squash when they were on sale.  

Remember My Abundance of Apples?

 Here is a recipe I found from the Minimalist Baker blog: Easy Cinnamon Baked Apples  I made some substitutions based on what I had on hand.  I used flour instead of cornstarch, I used 1/3 cup granulated sugar and 1/3 cup pure maple syrup, I left out the nutmeg (because I had none) I added some lemon zest with the tablespoons of lemon juice. I also used more fresh grated ginger than the recipe stated. I am quite glad I did because I used enuogh that you could taste ginger in each bit, but it wasn't overpowering. The Hubs had purchased Hudsonville Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Ice Cream so that is the ice cream you see with the baked apples. 

I used Gala, Golden Delicious and Honey Crisp Apples.

I'm glad I came across this recipe, it was delicious and smelled divine while it was cooking!

Masquerade Murder: A Victoria Town Mystery Novella by Mollie Cox Bryan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is the second book in the series. It's a seasonal novella, you can sit down on a cold October night after the kiddos are done ringing your doorbell demanding candy and slip away to Victoria Town.

I like Viv our protagonist, she has a wry sense of humor and it's fun to tag along inside her head. In this installment, I thought that Viv's Aunt Libby was less judgemental than in the first book and more involved in the sleuthing. I liked the build-up to the killer's reveal.



View all my reviews

The Last Week of October is Already Here! Witches! Warlocks!

 Halloween is coming up this Saturday and then a week from today the time changes and we will be in the dark until March.  As you know by now, I am always in the mood to curl up with a good book, and what better time to read about witches and warlocks than now as the temps drop and the nights start before dinner is on the table.   Below is a review of a book I can say is one of the best new books this year. If you enjoy contemporary fantasy or paranormal books. You have to get this book because you are going to love it. 

White Trash Warlock by David R. Slayton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished this book a few days ago and I find myself thinking about the story at random moments like when I am washing the dishes. I'm thinking about how I was not surprised about one part of a major plot reveal because it was so very well foreshadowed so I knew something was up, but when the whole truth comes out, it's so much deeper and more impactful.

This book is in the top five of all books I have read this year. It's a great ride and I highly recommend it. David Slayton does such a beautiful job of giving us a cohesive world that spans several dimensions and in those worlds, David gives us just the right amount of fully drawn characters. I cannot wait to read what happens next.

One last thing, I really really like the love triangle. It's there, but it isn't overwhelmingly angsty.

View all my reviews

Are you decorated?  Here is a picture of my kitchen area coffee station all decked out for All Hallow's Eve! 

Happy Haunting! 

What's a Cook To Do When You Have Apples, Lots of Apples!

 I asked the hubs to get me 3 Honey Crisp Apples from the store and he brought home three bags of apples. One bag of Honey Crisp, one bag of Golden Delicious and one bag of Gala apples. 

Here is the Apple Crisp Recipe I tried

An old picture with some lovely fall foliage! 

Because I follow many Cozy Mystery writers on social media, I found this podcast All Things Cozy.  The Cozy lifestyle is my jam. In the most recent episode, I listened to one of the hosts talked about Yankee Candle called warm and cozy.  It's supposed to smell like a bonfire in the fall.  I had Kohl's cash, and I decided today was a good day to order that candle- so hopefully I'll get a notice from Kohl's and be able to pick that candle up and see if it lives up to its name! 

I double-checked my order and sadly, it seems that I am going to have to wait until next week to get my candle.  That's not cozy! 

I've been working on living my best Spooky Season life this week.  I've painted pumpkins and I made my scarecrow for the front porch. A week from Saturday is Halloween!  I hope you and yours have been enjoying some Autumnal Fun! 

It rained all night last night, so I'm waiting to put out my scarecrow until this weekend. It will be sheltered, but I want to avoid having a soggy wet blob on our front porch! 

13 days until Halloween! How are you celebrating the Season?

 Because I have the "I Heart Radio" on my phone, I got a notification today for what they call a 3-D podcast for Halloween. It's like Tales from the Crypt for your ears, lots of background sounds as you listen to a creepy story this is less than 30 minutes.  A great way to enjoy the spooky month of October while you are cooking, cleaning, or walking the dog. 

Yesterday afternoon I was making phone calls to voters and while no one could see me, I decided why not wear some Autumnal Aldi gear. How cute are these socks!  The green leggings are also from Aldi. I'm glad I embraced the legging lifestyle, I may never wear pants that button or zip again. 

One Dark and Stormy Knight: A Cozy Witch Mystery by Hermione Moon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

If you grew up reading tales of King Arthur and you love reading cozy mysteries, you've got to read this book!
This novella length book has a decent mystery and a nice cast of characters. Even though this is a paranormal, I would say there is one small plot point that is a bit hard to believe, but I decided to go with it and not let one small thing stop my general enjoyment of the book.

Hermione Moon has created a lovely town that you'll want to visit again and again!

View all my reviews

#FraterfestRAT Day One!

 It's here!  A great excuse to immerse myself in spooky season. Today I started listening to Mexican Gothic. Tonight I am going to finish reading One Dark and Stormy Knight  and today I also picked up a book I had a hold on at the library, I'm so glad that I get to read this for the Fraterfest Read a Thon:  Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas  Oh and also I'll be reading the new release - White Trash Warlock

Join me and read some spooky/cozy paranormal/YA paranormal/Halloween themed books! You can even win prizes! Click Here  So if the weather is gloomy, download a book or grab one from your local library and spend some time cozied up in a chair. --And let me know what you are reading!  I love book recommendations! 

What I'm Up To This Week -Halloween Talk!

 

My favorite kinds of ravioli are back at Aldi! Yum! If you haven't tried these yet, go get some.  Pumpkin and Sage as well as Butternut Squash.  Trader Joe's has an Autumn Alfredo which is great with these or you can just use a little melted or browned butter. Delicious for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Thus far October weather has been very kind to those of us in Illinois. I am hoping this trend continues as it makes running outside so enjoyable. Based on my personal experience, I think people are really throwing themselves into decorating for Halloween this year and I am here for it! 

One of my goals this week is to make a lifesized scarecrow for our front porch.  My delay is really just a matter of stuffing. I think I can use old clothes in lieu of hay or straw. If I hold out making the scarecrow until I go find and purchase hay, I'm not going to get it done. 

Middle son has procured a temp job working for a drugstore chain, fortunately, they take mask-wearing very seriously--as a store with a pharmacy should. Note to self, remind said child to get his flu shot ASAP. 

What am I reading right now?  I'm finishing Emerald Blaze today and then I will have to wait for Ilona Andrews to write the third book in this trilogy! 

Then for the upcoming week, I'm reading witchy books--starting with One Dark and Stormy Knight: A Cozy Witch Mystery 

#FraterfestRAT !

Great Idea To Celebrate Halloween - And A Book Recommendation!

If you have teens or tweens and are looking for a way to celebrate Halloween this year, I have an idea.  You make up a scavenger hunt list and then kids go in pairs and walk around and take pictures of the items on the list. Once they complete the list they make a photo collage of the items and show the picture to you and in turn, you give them a goodie bag prize.  

Other ideas for distanced Halloween fun, group watch a Halloween-themed movie, Zoom Halloween Costume Contest, or Just wear your costume for the next three-weeks w/a mask on everywhere you go!  Don't limit yourself to one day! This year is weird! 

As I mentioned a couple weeks back, one of the ways I'm celebrating Halloween this year is by participating in a read-a-thon.  Well, now the Fraterfest Read-a-Thon starts on Thursday!  Join me here !  You can even read the book below as part of the fun! 

Ghosts of Tsavo (Society for Paranormals, #1)
by 

Vered Ehsani (Goodreads Author)

Victoria Hamel's review

Oct 07, 2020  ·  edit

really liked it

 

A friend recommended this series to me, I got the first book from Amazon. I think the series is part of Kindle Unlimited. There are many cozy mysteries and romance books included with Kindle Unlimited and I think it's finally time to take the plunge and get the subscription!

The book is on the short side which is perfect for a cold and gloomy fall day. This book takes place in the late 1800s, but in a world where the paranormal is all around us but The Society keeps it from regular humans. The main character in this book, Mrs. Knight, is a very capable woman with a dry sense of humor so I found her to be very relatable-- however, she can see auras and can smell werewolves, and alas, I cannot.

One of the most enjoyable parts of the book for me I don't want to share because it would be spoilery. It was at the climax of the book and I was glad to see it.

This is a fun series at any time of year, but during the spooky season, treat yourself to this adventure!

It's Here! Spooky Season is Here!

 Kicked off October with a fall salad that Tom said was very good.  Then I drove middle child to the train so he could go downtown for one class. I am definitely seeing some spooky decorations going up.  I hope everyone really gets into the Halloween decorating spirit this year. 

All the Halloween spirit helps me as I am working on my Halloween themed Cozy Mystery.  Will I ever get published?  Who knows I have decided just to write what I enjoy reading and go from there.

The recipe here included feta.  What I made is the salad without feta. I added more pepper, vinegar, and arugula than the recipe called for this time. Makes for a light meal or a side dish!  Also is tasty with a nice pumpkin beer.  This one has some really nice spices. The hubs did a make your own six-pack and this was one of the offerings at Binny's.  The beer is a really nice golden color.  I have little 8 oz mason jelly jars I like to use -- portion control! 

Spooky Season is Almost Upon Us! Who's Excited for October?

 

In the fall I enjoy reading/listening to spooky/light horror/paranormal books.  I used an audible credit to listen to this book and I listen to the book at 1.3 speed.  I enjoyed this reader and would listen to other books read by her. 

This book is YA and it has some of your classic YA tropes.  Alexis Henderson does a fine job creating a creepy atmosphere and throughout the book, I was not sure who was 'bad and who was 'good'. I liked that I was constantly questioning everyone's motives.  I could not even be sure  Immanuelle was a reliable narrator.   

This isn't the sort of horror that will give you nightmares or make you freak out about a bump in the night, it is the sort of horror that really puts one in the Halloween spirit.  Oh now if you do want to take to the next level, listen to it while you walk in the woods, at night.

Four Stars!

Here is a link to the book and my other reviews! 

And in decidedly not spooky Autumn fun, I found the perfect shower curtain to hang from now until December! It's from Bed, Bath and Beyond--I finally used one of the 50,000 coupons they send me in the mail. :-) 

Soups On! In Which I Try a New Soup Recipe!

 

Got a copy of the Women's Day, yes I have a couple magazine subscriptions.  I like to flip through an occasional magazine and to circle things, tear out pages, put post-it notes on pages to remember.  

This recipe is a potato corn chowder and the reason I decided to try it was because you make it in the slow cooker.

I added more corn, garlic, chorizo, and thyme than the recipe calls for and I skipped the half and half, but I did add some sour cream right before serving. It's a lot of chopping and then waiting while it cooks in the crockpot you can make it on low for like 6 hours or 3-4 on high.  I think if you made it on the stove it would take 40-60 minutes? I think that you could add 1/4 a cup of white wine if you wanted to do that. If you are Gluten Free just don't use the 2 tbsp of flour.  If you are vegan, skip the chorizo and veggie crumbles and use vegetable broth instead of chicken. 

It's officially Oktoberfest  Me and the hubs split this crowler --basically a quart of beer. So we each had a pint. Neither of us used the quart-sized stein that came with the beer.  It's just a heavy as you would think!  The hubs said this beer reminded him of Old Style. I said it reminded me of Heineken. In general, when we have a beer we don't' usually go with a lager. 

Prost! 

Watching Fall Cooking and A Nice Afternoon Mystery!

 The highs are in the low 70s with sweater weather at night and I am ready to try all the fall recipes--and at the same time, I'm not really in the mood to cook. What is a person to do?  

Watch fall-themed cooking shows!  Food Network has a streaming service and I had a deal for one free year of the service so here I am binging the best Food Network has to offer in Autumn programming. 

One episode of The Kitchen is start-to-finish recipes I would actually want to make.  The link is here for the video and below is the description of the episode: 

"The Kitchen celebrates Fall with the two stars of the season: squash and pumpkins! Katie Lee makes her sticky-sweet Grilled Pumpkin BBQ-Glazed Pork Chops and Sunny Anderson whips up her Quick Wild Rice and Sausage Stuffed Mini Butternut Squash. Jeff Mauro makes a creamy Cacio e Pepe e Zucca pasta, and Katie puts her spin on squash with Spaghetti Squash Crust Pizza. Baker Renato Poliafito brings some pumped up Pumpkin Whoopie Pies and Geoffrey Zakarian spices things up with his Maple Chai Spiced Pepitas."

I really need to stop watching TV on an empty stomach. I am hungry but I don't want to get up and go downstairs to cook! Ha!

Here is a review of a book I recently won in a giveway- 

FOUR STARS

I enjoyed this novella. The story made for a nice afternoon escape. I found the gothic nature of the murder interesting and I found the main character interesting as she was much more introverted than your typical cozy mystery protagonist. I have mixed feelings about her aunt. I hope that in future installments Viv makes a local friend and finds a way to be able to use her computer skills legally to help people since that seems to be something she excels at and likes to do.

The backdrop of a town immersed in the Victorian age, with all the tech and conveniences of modern 2000s life is interesting. I am looking forward to grabbing a PSL or a golden Tumeric latte and reading the next book in the series as it is themed for Fall!

This is a good read to have on your phone or tablet to read when you are waiting at an appointment or if you take public transportation to and from work.

You can see my goodreads reviews here

Did I predict the future?

Three years ago today I said this "Tip for the day: It's almost Halloween, so skip the makeup this morning and get a little more sleep."

As I stood at the train station this morning waiting for my train and scrolling through Facebook the above status update popped up in my memories from three years ago. I thought to myself.  That's a good post, I'm pretty funny sometimes.

Then I realized...I had forgotten to put on any makeup before leaving for work!  Look at me, predicting the future! 

If only I had used my magical powers to play the billion dollar Powerball. Alas It would seem I can

The kids of Halloween Past...

only predict my own personal behavior, which is probably really common and not at all magical.  Nevertheless, on the Eve of Halloween, I'm calling myself a psychic, consider it my costume!


Happy #NationalCandyCornDay !!! Will you be buying a bag to enjoy or throw directly into the trash?  Candy Corn brings out strong opinions!

When was the last time you tried something new?

It was a funny thing, for most of junior high Anna was very opposed to continuing band in high school.  Even as we discussed her schedule for the upcoming year, she didn't really want to continue.  So yes we nudged her a bit, nagged a little for her to give it a try for the first year,  just the basic band and if she didn't want to continue after that, she could stop.  Then out of the blue, just before eighth grade ended, she decided to attend the marching band meeting.  This was a surprise development, we went to the marching band meeting and saw the well-made promotional video and Anna decided to join marching band.

This was the same girl who said previously, "I'm never joining marching band, marching band is like a full-time job."  The first couple days were rough, not knowing how things worked and where to go and how to act, but after a few weeks she was warming up to it.  This was due, not in small part, to the band matching up Seniors to mentor Freshman.  By the time band camp arrived-- note, I didn't know band camp was really a thing--she was all in.

Saturday was the last marching band performance of the year at the University of Illinois, it was about 20 degrees below zero outside and the wind was a brisk 30ish miles per hour.  We froze as we watching the band perform, and we respected Ms. Anna's request that we not acknowledge her in any way.  If you ask her how the band did, she will tell you they had a bad run. She is more critical of the ensemble than the band director!  What I saw was all the kids giving it everything they had all season long. In the aftermath of the season finale, Anna has now been hit with the cold that has been going around school for weeks.

Moral of the story, nudging a teenager to try something, to push themselves,  can work.  Really, this also goes for adults, especially those long past the high school years.  Give yourself a nudge, try something new, push yourself.

xoxo